Expendable rotatable abrasive grinding device



Nov. 5, 1963 BLOCK 3,109,267

EXPENDABLE ROTATABLE ABRASIVE GRINDING DEVICE Filed June 27, 1960 IN V EN TOR. ALECK BLOCK United States Patent O fornia Filed June 27, 1960, Ser. No. 38,796 2 Claims. (Cl. 51-1935) This invention relates to a rotatable abrasive grinding and polishing device which is completely expendable.

In essence, my invention contemplates a rotatable grinding device comprising a central hub member having a plurality of spaced packs composed of laminations of abrasive carrying sheet material disposed about its periphery. The abrasive packs are permanently premounted on the central hub, which is made of light gauge metal or fiber or other substantially rigid low cost material so that it may be discarded simultaneously with the remaining unused portion of the attached abrasive packs when the major portion of the abrasive has been consumed. Such an abrasive grinding device which is completely expendable has numerous advantages, including reduced cost of manufacture and speed and simplicity of replacement.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a device of the type described which is an improvement over prior structures because the packs are permanently attached to the hub member instead of being separately supplied for individual attachment to or mounting upon a central member. The hub member acts as a holding device which holds the packs and locates them in the desired position. The hub member may be sufficiently rigid so that it can be directly mounted for rotation or it may be reinforced by supporting side plates or flanges disposed on one or both sides of the hub member.

Because the packs are formed of laminated leaves which are tightly compressed together, they provide greater rigidity than is possessed by any of the individual leaves forming the pack. The compression of the laminated leaves also prevents separation of individual leaves from the pack.

Due to the laminated construction, each pack provides a series of abrasive surfaces which are successively brought into engagement with the workpiece, the lower leaves being exposed only after the upper leaves have been consumed and worn away. In this way, fresh abrasive material is constantly brought into use during the life of the device. My device thus presents a continuously sharp, self-dressing abrasive surface to the workpiece.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the abrasive packs extend at a transverse angle with respect to the hub member and also with respect to the workpiece in order to provide a different type of abrading action.

It is accordingly among the objects of my invention to provide an expendable rotatable abrasive grinding device having the advantages and benefits of the structure set forth above and described hereinafter. My invention also comprises such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments of my invention, it should be understood that the same are susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of my abrasive grinding device;

3,109,267 Patented Nov. 5, 1963 FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

A preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises an expendable abrasive grinding device which includes a central hub member 30, which is preferably formed of a single sheet of a rigid or substantially rigid low cost material such as metal onfiber. The hub member 30 would have a thickness of approximately A if metal were used. While the hub member 30 is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings as being of circular configuration, it could also assume a hexagonal, octagonal or any other desired configuration,

Mounted around the outer periphery of the hub member 10 are a plurality of packs 32 formed of laminated oblong rectangular leaves 33, at least some of which carry abrasive material on one side thereof. The leaves 33 are in aligned superimposed relationship to each other, each of the packs 32 being secured to the hub member 30 by a metal staple or stitch 34, which extends through the inner edges of all of the leaves 33 and through the outer edge of the bent up portions or wings 31.

The leaves 33 preferably comprise cloth or paperwhich is coated on one side thereof with suitable abrasive material. The individual leaves 3-3 are accordingly substantially flexible. The staple 34 acts, however, to compress the inner ends of the leaves 33 tightly against each other and tightly against the edge of the hub member 30. The pack 32 which is so formed thus has substantially greater rigidity than any of the individual leaves 33 which are used to form it because the leaves 33 provide support and reinforcement for each other in addition to the support provided by their attachment 'to the substantially rigid hub member 30.

The hub member 30 is provided with a centrally disposed recess 35, in the center of which is a circular opening 36, which is adapted to receive a rotatable spindle or other suitable source of high speed rotation. The hub member 30 may be sufiiciently rigid so that it supports itself and the packs 32 or it may be reinforced by a supporting flange or flanges. The packs 32 tend to wear away from their outer edges toward the periphery of the hub member 30. When the packs 32 have been substantially consumed, the entire device including the hub member 30 and the remaining unused portion of the packs 32 is discarded and replaced with another similarly formed device.

FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings show an embodiment of my invention in which portions of a hub member 30 are bent to extend at a right angle with respect to the major portion of the hub member. These bent-up portions or wings 31 have packs 32 of abrasive leaves secured to their outer edges. As best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the packs 32 are thus directed transversely with respect to the major part of the hub member 30. The result is that the abrasive leaves 33 which form the packs 3-2 move at right angles to the workpiece. The construction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 thus provides a flailing type of abrasive action which is entirely different from the brushing action produced from the first embodiment of my invention.

All of the embodiments of my invention comprise expendable devices which are formed entirely of discardtially a right angle with respect to said flat central portion, a pack of laminated abrasive leaves secured to each of said wings, said leaves extending in substantially the same plane as said Wings, means for mounting said hub member for rotation in the plane of the flat central portion of said hub member to bring said abrasive packs into successive transverse engagement with a workpiece, said device adapted to be discarded and replaced in its entirety upon the consumption of the usable portion of said abrasive packs.

2. An expendable rotatable abrasive grinding device for abrading a workpiece, including a substantially rigid hub member formed of discardable material, and disposed in a particular plane and rotatable in the particular plane and provided with Wings, the wings extending from the hub member in a direction transverse to the particular plane, a plurality of packs of laminated abrasive leaves secured totthe wings of said hub member, means for mounting said hub member for rotation in the particular plane, means for supporting said packs of leaves on said wings of said hub member in the direction transverse to the particular plane of rotation of said hub member, said packs being arranged so that they are brought into successive engagement with the workpiece upon the rotation of said hub member, said device being constructed to be discarded and replaced in its entirety upon the consumption of the usable portion of said abrasive packs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hall Oct. 13, 

1. AN EXPENDABLE ROTATABLE ABRASIVE GRINDING DEVICE COMPRISING A CENTRAL SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID HUB MEMBER FORMED OF DISCARDABLE MATERIAL, SAID HUB MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CENTRAL PORTION, SAID HUB MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED WINGS EXTENDING AT SUBSTANTIALLY A RIGHT ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID FLAT CENTRAL PORTION, A PACK OF LAMINATED ABRASIVE LEAVES SECURED TO EACH OF SAID WINGS, SAID LEAVES EXTENDING IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE 